"Objector" is the 25th television play episode of the first season of the Australian anthology television series Australian Playhouse.[1] "Objector" was written by Tony Morphett and produced by Brian Faull[2] and originally aired on ABC[3] on 3 October 1966.
| "Objector" | |
|---|---|
| Australian Playhouse episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 25 |
| Teleplay by | Tony Morphett |
| Original air date | 3 October 1966 |
| Running time | 30 mins |
Morphett went on to become one of the leading writers in Australian television.[4]
Plot
editA man is conscripted to fight in Vietnam. He wants to go to court to argue against his and his father, a war veteran, calls him a coward.[5]
Cast
edit- John Derum as the son
- Syd Conabere as the father
- Julie Costello as the girlfriend
Production
editMorphett originally wrote the story as a short story for the Adelaide Festival Literary Contest. It was written soon after the Federal Government introduced conscription for Vietnam, but Morphett says it is not "a propagandist play."[5]
It was filmed in Sydney.[6]
Reception
editThe Bulletin TV critic said the "play kept wandering from prose poetry to plain Australian and back again, like a novice punter trying to pick a two-horse race without a form guide."[7]
The Age said it was "a drama so true to life it hurt."[8] A different critic from the same paper said it "wasn't really a play. It was merely sort of a visual illustration of a voice told by a narrative in the background. The viewer was supposed to exercise his imagination... An actor is supposed to play a part."[9]
The same paper later called it "a noteworthy example how a dramatist can contribute to a worthy understanding."[10]
Filmink said " As would be expected from a script by Morphett, it’s well constructed, strong drama – one of the best scripts in the whole Australian Playhouse series."[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "TELEVISION Nothing dull on a Wacky Ship". The Canberra Times. Vol. 41, no. 11, 505. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 11 October 1966. p. 11. Retrieved 1 March 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Conscription". The Age. 29 September 1966. p. 33.
- ^ "Varied views on Conscription today". The Canberra Times. Vol. 43, no. 12, 177. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 December 1968. p. 13. Retrieved 11 June 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- ^ a b John Haynes; J.F. Archibald. "Vol. 88 No. 4518 (8 Oct 1966)". The Bulletin. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "When a play gets up and walks". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 October 1966. p. 86.
- ^ John Haynes; J.F. Archibald. "Vol. 88 No. 4519 (15 Oct 1966)". The Bulletin. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "Teletopics". The Age. 6 October 1966. p. 13.
- ^ Monitor (8 October 1966). "For parents and teachers". The Age. p. 25.
- ^ Televiewer (29 December 1966). "Staying true to one's viewing". The Age. p. 9.
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (29 August 2023). "Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Boy with Banner, Objector and Watch It". Filmink.
External links
edit- "Objector" at AusStage
- "Objector" at AustLit
- "Objector" at IMDb
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